After a sensational show against the West Indies, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha told ESPNSTAR.com that he is geared up to repeat his performances Down Under.

Bu Sudeer Mahavadi

SM: Your fine show against the West Indies must have been really satisfying.

PO: Yes indeed. I was immensely delighted with my show. I made a comeback after a year. I was just waiting for the right opportunity and thank God I bowled to expectations.

I never thought I would get to the 50-wicket mark so early in my career although I have been in and out of the team.

I am thankful to all the seniors for their support and I specially thank the selectors who have reposed faith in me.

Playing county cricket in England, as I said in my previous interview with you, really helped me sharpen my skills. Now I am raring to repeat the show in Australia.

SM: It is good that you are very confident but the conditions Down Under would be different from the sub-continent. Do you think it is a tough tour ahead of you?

PO: That is true. In fact it is my maiden visit there. I know I just can't purchase wickets. It will be really tough as some of the Australians do play spin very well.  But the extra bounce we get on Australian wickets can be useful. The good news is, we are going well in advance to get acclimatised to the conditions there. I hope the kind of practice we get before the first Test match would give us a chance to perform better.

SM: You have been in and out of the Indian squad in both versions. Do you think this is the right time to establish yourself?

PO: Well whenever I was selected I never let anyone down. I always gave my best to satisfy everyone. You know, I always focus on perfoming to expectations. I always accepted the chances gleefully without any regret.  Yes as you rightly said this is the right phase to cement a permanant place in the Indian team. I am bowling well and there are no injury problems. I am imrpoving everyday and  I always look forwad to that.

SM: In a nutshell how do you describe your journey so far?

PO: Well it has been a roller-coaster one. I have really enjoyed everything. It has been a privilege to play international cricket for the country. My childwood dream has come true. I have always tried to make the most of the opportunities at whatever level I have played. In fact I always say that I just take the chances that come my way. But again I want to mention that there is a long long way to go. Once you are expected to do well the pressure increases automaticlly and  everything becomes more and more difficult -but I am pretty confident of overcoming all the hurdles.

SM: Who would you credit your success to?

PO: Well all the seniors have backed me up. Laxmanbhai (VVS Laxman), Anilbhai (Anil Kumble) and Rajubhai (Venkatpathy Raju) have been instrumental in a big way. Since Laxmanbhai and Rajubhai are from Hyderabad, they have been of great help. And ofcourse Shivbhai who always encouraged me like anything.

SM: There is another Hyderabadi in the team now- Shivlal Yadav, the team-manager!

PO: His experience will be very useful, not only to me but to all the boys. Everyone likes him. He always did well in Australia and I am sure I would have learnt a lot by the end of the tour.

SM: Experts feel you and R Ashwin have the ability to give India the same deadly pair that Kumble and Harbhajan formed. How does that feel?

PO: Well to be compared with greats like Anilbhai and Harbhajan is not fair. We have a long way to go. But I did enjoy Ashwin's support against the West Indies. In fact Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Ashwin are almost batchmates and it is good that we are delivering the goods to the everybody's expectations.

SM: Well only time will tell that but what are the areas you need to improve on now?

PO: I need to concentrate more on my fitness. In fact what happens is when you are required to bowl longer spells in some situations - specially during those tough sessions after lunch and tea you tend to look tired. So I am working very hard on that and see how I can maintain consistency in my spells. Of course I am working on some variety as well to bowl better on wickets which don't offer much help to the spinners. So far I am happy with my improvement. I am working hard in the nets. I also played a Ranji match recently to remain fit.

SM: Are there any personal goals you want to talk about?

PO: Nothing as such. I want to stay simple and positive and show commitment in everything. I should just implement positively whatever I plan.